Using Experts to Squeeze More Video Content Out of Your Next Event

While many organizations understand the value of live, in-person events, it feels like some still underestimate the content benefits to be gained.

Simply put, live events are content havens.

This is especially true for large conferences with lots of different keynotes and sessions spread out over multiple days. With so many different smart people gathered in one place, there’s no shortage of great ideas being shared, and even the laziest content marketer could turn all that information into something.

I’ve written recently about making video part of your event marketing strategy, with details on how video content can be used before, during and after the big day (or days). A lot of those content ideas stem from the event itself; pre-event promotions, recorded presentations, and so on. Clever marketers, however, recognize the opportunity to generate even more video content at these events beyond what you see on stage.

How? By wrangling the experts and thought leaders in attendance, that’s how.

For example, when LinkedIn’s Kerri Jankelow spoke at a recent Brainshark-cosponsored event, we asked her to sit down and expand on some social selling tips she referenced during her presentation. The result was a quick and easy video on improving your LinkedIn selling strategy that we repurposed as a blog post:

Another idea is to track down multiple subjects for a video that expresses several different points of view. Content Marketing Institute puts on an annual event where thought leaders in attendance are encouraged to swing by for a quick video interview on their topic(s) of expertise.

In the example below, they asked the same set of questions to three experts on the topics of influencer marketing, then edited their responses into a cohesive story:

Of course, it doesn’t have to be your event to capture effective video content. I’ve been to many conferences where organizations have cameras set up at their booths in the expo hall. I’ve also seen marketers simply walk around with their smartphones out, ready to record a few quotes from people they see on the floor.

For example, in the video below from Inbound Marketing Summit 2012, The Content Marketeer tracked down thought leader Rob Yoegel in a hallway for a short interview:

The best part about the videos above is that they are quick and easy to shoot. In most cases, the expert is in and out in a matter of minutes, leaving you with valuable footage to repurpose for future content efforts.

For more content marketing tips and ideas, check out the blog posts below: